Endowed Chairs and Professors at the A. James Clark School of Engineering
The named chairs and professorships of the A. James Clark School of Engineering bestow significant honor upon the selected faculty member and department, elevating their visibility and prestige. They also allow the University to acknowledge exceptional achievements in research and teaching.
Explore the distinguished faculty of Maryland Engineering who hold endowed chairs and professorships. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the generous donors who established these endowed faculty positions, fostering excellence in both teaching and research.
If you are interested in creating an endowed chair or professorship that fits your personal interests and goals, please contact Chief Development Officer Jennifer L. Schwartz at jschwar2@umd.edu or 301-405-0317.
John L. Bryan Chair in Fire Protection Engineering
This fund was established in January 1987 by the alumni committee of the Campaign for Fire Protection Engineering. The fund supports a faculty chair, two Regents Fellowships and research funds for the Department of Fire Protection Engineering.
A. James Clark Chair in Civil Engineering
Holder: Gang-Len Chang, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
The George Hyman Construction Company and Omni Construction, Inc. established this fund in 1983 to support a faculty position in the A. James Clark School of Engineering.
Clark Distinguished Chairs Program Endowment
Holders: Suresh Babu, Professor in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering; Inderjit Chopra, Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering; Saikat Guha, Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Jay Lee, Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Industrial Artificial Intelligence Center; Thomas Marzetta, Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Deb Niemeier, Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Established in 2017 through the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation's Building Together: An Investment for Maryland, the Clark Distinguished Chair program supports high-achieving faculty members and their research in the A. James Clark School of Engineering. Clark Distinguished Chairs are selected based on visibility and recognition in the field of engineering, the ability to produce research published and cited in prestigious journals, and have a multi-disciplinary or innovative research focus.
William L. Crentz Centennial Chair in Energy Research
Holder: Eric Wachsman, Distinguished University Professor and and Director, Maryland Energy Innovation Institute
Through their will, William L. Crentz and Regina M. Crentz established this fund in September 1992 to support the William L. Crentz Centennial Chair in Energy Research and the teaching and research of the William L. Crentz Professor.
George E. Dieter Professorship in Mechanical Engineering
Holder: Michael G. Pecht, Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering
Engineering faculty, alumni and members of the Board of Visitors established this fund in July 1995 to support a junior faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Ben Dyer Centennial Chair in Civil Engineering
Holder: Alba Torrents, Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Ben Dyer established this fund in May 1991 to provide support for a distinguished professor who will bring national leadership to the integration of new technologies into the design and land development activities of the civil engineering profession in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Anthony Ephremides Chair in Information Sciences and Systems
Holder: Sennur Ulukus, Department Chair and Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Anthony Ephremides established this fund in 2007 to support a faculty chair in information sciences and systems in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Nariman Farvardin Professorship
Holder: Samuel Graham, Jr., Dean of the A. James Clark School of Engineering and Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering
Friends and colleagues of Nariman Farvardin established this fund in October 2007 to support recruitment or retention of a Professor of Engineering.
Fischell Family Distinguished Professorship
Established by Robert E. Fischell, this fund is used to support chairs, professorships, fellowships, general funds, and operating funds to enhance the Fischell Department of Bioengineering and the Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices.
Alfred Gessow Chair in Rotorcraft Engineering
Holder: Anubhav Datta, Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering
In honor of his father, Andrew J. Gessow established this fund in February 1997 to enable an eminent professor of Aerospace Engineering to conduct research and offer educational programs in rotorcraft engineering.
Deborah J. Goodings Professorship in Engineering for Global Sustainability
Holder: Michelle (Shelby) Bensi, Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Charles Waggner ’54 established this fund in October 2009 to support a salary supplement, programming and research for a professor of International Sustainable Development Engineering.
Brendan Iribe Endowed Professorship in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Holder: Calin Belta, Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Department of Computer Science
Brendan Iribe established this fund in June 2021 to provide support for a faculty professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Computer Science who has an expertise in robotics and autonomy or artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Charles A. Irish, Sr. Chair in Civil Engineering
Holder: Allen Davis, Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company established this fund in July 1999 to support a chair in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. This fund honors Chuck Irish’s long and distinguished career in civil engineering and his deep dedication to the university.
Christine Yurie Kim Eminent Professorship in Information Technology
Holder: Dr. Min Wu, Distinguished Scholar-Teacher and Associate Dean for Graduate Programs in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Jeong H. Kim established this fund in honor of his daughter Christine to support eminent faculty members in the A. James Clark School of Engineering.
Cynthia H. Kim Eminent Professorship in Information Technology
Jeong H. Kim established this fund in honor of his wife in 1998 to support eminent faculty members in the A. James Clark School of Engineering.
Jeong H. Kim Endowed Professorship
Holder: Abhijit Dasgupta, Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering
Dr. Jeong H. Kim established this fund as part of the Jeong H. Kim Information Technology Endowment Fund in September 1998 to support a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering or Reliability Engineering.
Nicole Jurie Kim Eminent Professorship in Information Technology
Holder: Mohammad Modarres, Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering
Jeong H. Kim established this fund in honor of his daughter Nicole in September 1998 to support professors in Reliability Engineering.
Margaret G. and Frederick H. Kohloss Chair in Mechanical Engineering
Holder: Jelena Srebric, Associate Dean for Research and Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering
Margaret G. Kohloss and Frederick H. Kohloss established this fund in September 2005 to provide support for a chair in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Dr. NP Koley Endowed Term Professorship in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Bikash Koley ’97, Ph.D. ’00 established this fund in January 2022 in memory of his father to provide annual support for assistant and associate professors in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Dr. NP Koley was a Professor of Animal Genetics at the West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, and an avid scientist who sparked the curiosity of the unknown in his son from the very early days.
Lockheed Martin Chair in Systems Engineering
Holder: John S. Baras, Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
The Martin Marietta Corporation, which merged with the Lockheed Corporation in 1995 to create Lockheed Martin, established this fund in June 1987 to support an outstanding faculty member in the A. James Clark School of Engineering.
James A. Milke, Ph.D. Endowed Professorship of Practice in Fire Protection Engineering
Holder: Rosalie Hrybyk, Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering
Robert C. Andrews, Jr., P.E. ’80, Arthur E. Cote ’65 and other alumni from the Department of Fire Protection Engineering established this fund in October 2012 to support a professorship in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering.
Herbert Rabin Distinguished Endowed Chair in Engineering
Holder: Reza Ghodssi, Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Kwok Li established this fund in April 2000. It gives recognition and provides support to the chair holder, to advance new and emerging fields in engineering, to attract and retain the highest quality faculty in the A. James Clark School of Engineering, and to advance and maintain the Clark School in the top ranks of engineering schools.
Herbert Rabin Distinguished Professorship
Holder: Edo Waks, Professor and Associate Director, Quantum Technology Center
Kwok Li established this fund in 2000 to honor Herbert Rabin's dedicated service to the industry and the A. James Clark School of Engineering.
Frances Reyes Endowed Department Chair in Mechanical Engineering
The Reyes family established this fund in Mechanical Engineering in October 2022 and is named in honor of Frances Reyes. The fund supports the chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Joseph A. Reyes, Jr. ’57 Endowed Department Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering
The Reyes family established this fund in October 2022. The fund is named in honor of Joseph A. Reyes, Jr. and supports the chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Igor Sikorsky Distinguished Professorship in Rotorcraft
Holder: James D. Baeder, Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation established this fund in May 2014 to provide support for a Department of Aerospace Engineering Professorship.
Edward and Jennifer St. John Endowed Professorship in Bioengineering
Edward and Jennifer St. John and the Edward St. John Foundation established this fund in 2024, with the purpose of supporting at least two faculty members in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering who are affiliated with the Edward and Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine.
Patrick and Marguerite Sung Distinguished Professorship in Chemical Engineering
Holder: Srinivasa Raghavan, Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Patrick and Marguerite Sung established this fund in January 2006 to support a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering.
Patrick and Marguerite Sung Professorship in Chemical Engineering
Holder: Peter Kofinas, Professor and Chair in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Patrick and Marguerite Sung established this fund in January 2006 to support a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering.
Alford L. Ward Professorship in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Holder: Isaak D. Mayergoyz, Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Established in December 1986 by Dr. Alford W. Ward, this fund supports a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Pedro E. Wasmer Professorship in Engineering
Holder: Allison Coffey Reilly, Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Pedro Wasmer ’62 established this fund in January 2008 to support the salary and activities of a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Robert Franklin and Frances Riggs Wright Distinguished Chair in Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering
Holder: Chunsheng Wang, Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Established in 2007 by Dr. Frances W. Balfour in memory of her mother and father, this fund is used to provide annual support for the faculty member appointed to the Chair in Chemical Engineering and/or Bioengineering, as well as the programs and staff association with the Wright Distinguished Chair in the A. James Clark School of Engineering.
Willis H. Young, Jr. Faculty Fellowship in Aerospace Engineering
Holder: Derek Paley, Director of the Maryland Robotics Center and Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering
In honor of his father, Erik B. Young, M.D. and Joyce D. C. Young established the Willis H. Young, Jr. Faculty Fellowship in Aerospace Engineering in August 2006 to support a faculty member in the A. James Clark School of Engineering.
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